Lawrence D. Elliott

Lawrence D. Elliott is an author whose work has appeared in numerous popular books, including four from the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He’s a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and he’s been interviewed for The Daily Wrap from The Wall Street Journal with Michael Castner radio show. His stories may make you cry. They may make you laugh. They may bring you what he calls a "tearful smile". The origins of his writing come out of a painful period from his life. In 1973, Lawrence was a charter member of San Diego inner-city minority children to be bused to improved schools, which happened to be in predominantly white neighborhoods. There were clashes daily. At this time, Lawrence also learned he had a reading disability, bringing on feelings of inferiority. Then, a very special reading development teacher came into his life. She not only helped him improve his reading skills, but they both discovered he had a hidden talent: writing. His life was changed forever. This amazing teacher was white, so he learned another valuable lesson: good people come in all colors. A native of San Diego, California, Lawrence has also lived in Germany. He speaks German.

Oh sh!t, you’re black!

Humor In this Kindle humor e-single, the author explores an important point: "Is there a difference between racism and just having a prejudice?" Picture this...you're on the phone with a guy you've never met. He has a strong and rugged sounding voice. You envision he's six feet five, muscular, and handsome. Then, you're shocked upon meeting him. He's actually barely five feet tall, paunchy, and bald. Or perhaps you're on the phone with a woman setting up a blind date. She has a sexy and sultry voice. Of course, you paint an image in your head that perfectly matches what you hear. What happens when you finally meet? Let's just say she's not how you pictured her! This has happened to the author many, many times. He's spoken to thousands of people over the phone and, after hearing his voice, they'd draw their own picture of him, with one discrepancy: he would be white. Lawrence is African-American. No matter how much we try to deny it, we judge each other, not only by how we look, but also how we sound. So...Is there a difference between racism and just having a prejudice? Read and come to your own conclusion.

Bitte was? An American author’s misadventures in the German language

Humor Why was this English-language HUMOR book #1 in 3 separate categories simultaneously at Amazon's German-language store? Lawrence takes on the language of German in this humorous story of how he struggled to relearn the language, after being away from it for over 20 years. No one is off limits when it comes to poking a bit of fun, not even him. Lawrence isn’t a teacher or professor. This is not a language book or a dry instruction manual. His world is not the clean or pristine environment of a classroom, where you'd hear perfect German spoken from professional performers. (Who speaks perfectly in any language?) He writes about the real world and what he's encountered as he struggled to relearn German, one of the world's most difficult languages. If you've ever taken a foreign language and tried to say something in "perfect" German (or French or Spanish or Mandarin), only to realize you made a terrible mistake, THIS STORY IS FOR YOU! If you've ever said something that left the other person completely speechless or shocked, or you've said something you thought was a compliment, only to realize you said something extremely rude… THEN, THIS STORY IS FOR YOU!

Christmas Stories from my Heart

Holiday What if your greatest gift for the holidays was a roof over your head, food on the table, or the kindness of strangers? For Christmas, Lawrence would like to share four unforgettable and heart-warming stories from his life. The first story is titled "Our Christmas of 1971". At 11-years-old, Lawrence, his younger sister, and his mom found themselves without a home in Hartford, CT, over 3,000 miles away from his native San Diego. He shares the story of how it taught him the true meaning of the season. The next one is titled "Unexpected Guests", which was first published in the book A Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas in 2007. It's the story of a Christmas Eve he spent in Germany in 1981 with a wonderful young German couple while serving in the U. S. Air Force. Then, there’s "Hands". It might not seem like "Christmas", but in the end, you'll surely agree it's what this time of year is all about. Finally, there’s "Sweet Potato Pie for Christmas". More of a present day tale, it’s similar to most of the stories in this collection. It shows how diverse cultures can come together in harmony.